A view of the inside of Jeremy's in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, September 9, 2014.

A view of the inside of Jeremy's in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, September 9, 2014.

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

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An Ermenegildo Zegna jacket worn over a Lee vest with shoes from designers Silvano Sassetti, Tom Ford, John Lobb, and Gucci displayed in the men's section at Jeremy's in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, September 9, 2014. less

An Ermenegildo Zegna jacket worn over a Lee vest with shoes from designers Silvano Sassetti, Tom Ford, John Lobb, and Gucci displayed in the men's section at Jeremy's in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, ... more

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

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Jeremy Kidson, right, founder of Jeremy's department store in San Francisco, hands out coupons to some of the first in line, Caitie Smith, left, and Anna Levy, both of Marin, as they wait for the store to open Friday morning, November 27, 2009. less

Jeremy Kidson, right, founder of Jeremy's department store in San Francisco, hands out coupons to some of the first in line, Caitie Smith, left, and Anna Levy, both of Marin, as they wait for the store to open ... more

Photo: Erin Lubin / Special to The Chronicle

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Dresses designed by Jane Mendel, Sue Wong, and Monique Lhuillier displayed in the women's department at Jeremy's in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, September 9, 2014. Shoes by Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik seen at right. less

Dresses designed by Jane Mendel, Sue Wong, and Monique Lhuillier displayed in the women's department at Jeremy's in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, September 9, 2014. Shoes by Jimmy Choo and Manolo ... more

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

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Shaye Stamatis, of San Francisco, shops for shoes at Jeremy's department store in San Francisco Friday morning, November 27, 2009.

Shaye Stamatis, of San Francisco, shops for shoes at Jeremy's department store in San Francisco Friday morning, November 27, 2009.

Photo: Erin Lubin / Special to The Chronicle

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Jeremys in South Park to close Aug. 9

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It’s a last call, of sorts:Jeremysdepartment store, the San Francisco discount emporium for high-end clothing bargains, will shut its doors at 2 S. Park St. for good on Aug. 9 and consolidate its wares into its Berkeley branch. Store officials said it has fallen victim to the South Park neighborhood’s changing demographics.

“We found that the technology demographic doesn’t really shop as much at Jeremys as the more creative types that used to live in South Park when we started,” said founder Jeremy Kidson. “We feel that, as a company, we’ve always pioneered locations and South of Market doesn’t feel like it’s the other side of the tracks anymore — it’s so developed. So we want to go to the East Bay and continue with our legacy.”

The store, founded as New West by Kidson in 1987 in a rented office space, was open on Saturdays only and was a hit selling samples bought from local clothing companies.

In 1993, Kidson renamed the store after himself and moved to its current location in 1996. He expanded to Berkeley in the late 1990s. The store is known for selling handbags, couture gowns, shoes and menswear to customers who come from around the Bay Area for bargains. Shoppers might find anything from a Celine trapeze bag for $1,439, down from $4,100, to a pair of silver sparking Tom Ford pumps for $917, down from $3,890, to a pair of Persol sunglasses for $159, down from $455.
The store will be open for business as usual on Sunday, Aug. 9 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. — and offering 40 percent off all previously marked down women’s apparel and women’s and men’s shoes. After that, it’s Berkeley only.

It’s possible that three new high-end discount stores on Market Street — Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth and Neiman Marcus Last Call — may have pulled customers in different directions. But Kidson said parking in South Park has become increasingly difficult, if not a deterrent, for customers who drive in, and that the changing demographics haven’t helped.

“The people working in the neighborhood are not as drawn to the designer and couture product as they were in the ’90s,” he said. “It’s less artists and photographers and more emerging tech. We think the East Bay will be a better home for us.”

It’s hard to know what’s afoot, since Union Square is increasingly bursting at the seams with newly opened boutiques from Maison Margiela, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and other luxury purveyors eager to tap into the burgeoning wealth associated with the influx of highly paid social media workers and their bosses — tech millionaires and billionaires. (Read more about this trend in Sunday’s Style section.)

The goods at Jeremy’s were often a season old, which didn’t bother some of San Francisco’s best-dressed women, including businesswoman and philanthropist Pamela Joyner, who bought a Valentino gown a few years ago at Jeremy’s and wore it to the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Awards in New York last month. Sandy Mandel, a founder of Wear2Where, a website that guides travelers in what to wear on vacation around the world, said she’ll miss it. “What is the best Saturday morning ritual? Eating pancakes with your girlfriends followed by purchasing purses, shoes, and hidden gems from Jeremy’s,” she said by email. “Styling is all about accessories; this is was the spot that had it all. The black tuille skirt, leather jacket, Oscar de la Renta jeweled boots, red patent leather clutch, and Alexis Bittar chunky jewelry. Now what? Sadly, we just can’t eat pancakes all day.”

Kidson may have his finger on the pulse: Social media workers don’t wear couture to the office, after all. Or it could it be that some of them are able and willing to pay full price for an “it” bag when it’s in season.

One thing is for sure. Kidson will not be looking for a new location in San Francisco. “I love San Francisco. I was born in San Francisco. I plan to always be a part of it,” he said. “But I think Jeremy’s is going to be an East Bay company going forward.”